Germouser and the Tramp
by atlantiandragoness
Summary: Johann always thought that his cushy house-cat life was perfect, but when a stray tomcat known as Gino wanders into his life, his whole world gets flipped upside-down. Nekotalia!Gerita. Based on 'Lady and the Tramp'
1. Prologue

_AN: I know I've been rather neglectful to fanfiction (my other two stories will probably never be finished, as I have long since lost my muse, and general interest in the fandoms), but when this idea came to mind, I knew I had to write it down. And I love Gerita in all it's forms!_

_If you hadn't guessed from the title, this will be loosely based on Lady and Tramp. I say loosely because no one wants to read a word-for-word copy of the original with the names changed, and I haven't seen the movie in years, so I don't even remember enough to write a word-for-word copy if I _wanted_ to._

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><p>Wherever he was, it was dark. That, the kitten knew for sure.<p>

Only hours ago he had been sleeping in his usual enclosure at the pet store, when _he _had come in; the strange red-haired man with the wayward curl who had been frequenting the shop for a past few days, taking a specific interest in the small grey kitten. The next thing he knew, he was being spirited away to unknown locals in a box of some sorts, the air holes cut around the rim too high for him to peer out of, no matter how hard he tried.

So here he was, sitting in the dark, listening to two disembodied voices coming from somewhere above him, one belonging to that odd redhead, the other unknown. Finally, the lid was lifted from the box and the kitten found himself staring up into the surprised face of a blond haired, blue-eyed man. He let out a small mew in greeting.

"Feliciano, what is this?"

"A kitten, silly." The redhead came into view, scooping up the small bundle of grey fur to hold up to his companion. He squirmed a bit in Feliciano's grasp. "What do you think Ludwig? He kinda looks like you."

"I suppose…" Ludwig grumbled. The kitten lolled his head back to look at his captor with a questioning meow.

"I think we should name him 'Germouser', cause he's like you and you're German." The kitten made a displeased face at this suggestion, and Ludwig chuckled.

"Let's try something else. How about…" he paused in contemplation. "Johann."

"Aww, but that's boring," Feliciano complained, toying with the cat's ears, who was too busy surveying his surroundings to care. "He'd be named after a composer,"

"_I'm_ named after a composer."

"Yes, and you're boring."

"Feli…"

The kitten looked up from his visual investigation of what was to become his new home to observe the bantering males. Feliciano grinned widely and placed a quick kiss on Ludwig's cheek, which caused the taller male to flush a lovely shade of pink.

"I'm just kidding. It's perfect" The kitten mewed again, drawing the attention of both humans. He was handed off to Ludwig as Feliciano reached into his pocket and pulled out a ribbon patterned like the German tricolor, which was tied around his neck in a bow. The newly dubbed 'Johann' pawed at the bow a bit, and then left it alone as he realized it wasn't going anywhere. Curious blue eyes glanced between the two men, who smiled down at him.

"Welcome to the family."

* * *

><p>Johann stared blankly at the younger of his two owners, sprawled out contently on the sofa, snoozing away to his little heart's content. Honestly, the man slept more than he did, and he was a cat! Not to mention that the couch was the grey tom's designated napping spot, and Feliciano should have been well aware of this fact. He hopped up onto the couch and settled down against the redhead's chest. There was no way of getting the Italian to move, and finding a new napping spot just seemed inconvenient, so he'd have to adapt to the situation.<p>

Sensing the warm body next to him, Feliciano's arms snaked their way around the feline as he nuzzled into the soft fur, much to Johann's dismay. Honestly, he wondered why a sensible man like Ludwig would pick someone like Feliciano as his mate. First off, they were both male, and such a union could never produce children. Secondly, they were complete opposites. Ludwig was strict and orderly, whereas Feliciano was, well…

The man murmured something about pasta in his sleep.

Johann shook his head. Humans were incomprehensible at times, but he supposed you couldn't choose who you fell in love with, and the two were so obviously in love. It was just something he hadn't, and probably never would, experience. Not that he cared either way, his life was perfect just the way it was.

With his final reflections on his life, Johann let out a yawn and surrendered himself to the sandman, curled up comfortably in his owner's embrace.

* * *

><p><em>Yes, Germouser's name is Johann. I was searching through a list of German names for cats and that one just stuck with me. <em>


	2. Chapter 1

To be completely honest, he had never paid much attention to the other denizens of the household, Ludwig's three dogs, Aster, Blackie, and Berlitz. It wasn't as if the canines had any problems with cats, in fact they had gladly welcomed Johann into the family. However the two species did tend to keep their interactions at a minimum, for reasons Johann was not quite sure of, but wasn't concerned over either.

There were times, usually in emergencies, when they would seek each other out. This, Johann observed, must have been one of those times as Blackie came barreling into through the kitchen dog-door, nearly tripping over his own paws. He smirked in amusement as the German Shepherd, noticing his target was already in the room, came to a skidding halt on the linoleum tiled floor.

"There you are Johann," he panted. "We have a situation."

The cat indifferently licked at his paw, using it to smooth down the fur on the top of his head. "Well what is it?"

"Well, Berlitz and I were playing outside, you know, tug-o-war, keep away, chasing each other around in circles…"

Johann groaned. When he did socialize with the dogs, he preferred to talk to Aster. The elderly Golden Retriever could at least carry on an intelligent conversation without rambling on about matters of little relevance.

"…and he knew perfectly well it was _my_ turn but-"

"Blackie," Johann interrupted. "Is there a point to this?"

"Oh! Right, so anyway, this weird cat wandered into the yard through the hole in the fence. The one that Maine Coon from up the street made when he was showing off. That is one seriously strong cat! Anyway the cat, the weird one, not the Maine Coon, though he's kinda weird too, he wandered in and freaked out when saw us. Must be afraid of dogs, though it's not like we were barking or anything. I mean, Aster was asleep, cause he's so old, and Berlitz and I were still playing. We would've never even known he was there if he hadn't yowled-"

"Blackie!"

The German Shepherd flinched, now faced with the twitching tail of a slightly irritated feline.

"Uh, so, the cat's hiding under the porch and we need you to talk to him cause he's too scared of us to come out."

"There, what was so hard about that," Johann grumbled as he stalked out the pet door into the backyard, followed closely behind by Blackie.

Outside, the other two dogs were settled nearby a crack in the porches frame, large enough for a small animal to crawl through. Inside he could make out a faint silhouette and a few pitiful meows. Squeezing himself through the gap, Johann worked his way through the cobwebs and support beams until he reached the shivering heap of fur indentified as the 'weird cat', his back currently facing Johann.

He raised a cautious paw and tapped the stranger on the shoulder. "Er, h-hey."

"Hnn!" Startled, the stranger leapt back several feet, or he had least tried to before falling flat on his stomach.

"Ve-meow…" he whimpered sadly, tugging at his back paw, which had gotten tangled in some odd rope tied around one of the support beams. No wonder he wouldn't come out!

Extending a claw, Johann carefully picked at the entanglement until he created a gap large enough for the other feline to slip his foot out of. With the ropes gone, the strange pulled his paw free and spun around to greet his 'savior', chirping happily.

_Chirping_? Did he hear that right? Was he part bird or something?

"Oh thank you, thank you!" the stranger spoke now. "I was afraid you were one of those scary dogs at first, but you're a cat like me! _And_ you saved me!" He nuzzled up affectionately to Johann's side to show his gratitude. The fur on the larger cat's back prickled up and he nervously shuffled away.

"You're, uh, welcome," he mumbled, regarding that other cat. His fur was an odd mix of beige and yellow, with darker brown patches on his head and tail. Off to one side of his head was a longer, curled strand of fur that stuck out on it's own, not unlike Feliciano. He idly wondered if it was a coincidence until he remembered that Felciano's older brother had similar a curl. The stranger must be an Italian breed.

"My name's Gino," he beamed, wagging his fluffy tail behind him.

"Johann."

"Ve~ Johann… You're bow is cute!"

He gritted his teeth and glared the ground. "It's a collar. Now we should get out of here." He frowned at the dust and cobwebs sticking to his fur in various places. _I'm gonna need a bath after this._

"No, we can't go! Those big scary dogs are still out there, and they might eat us!"

Johann gave his a quizzical look. "Unless you're secretly a wurst, they won't eat you."

"What if I am?" Gino exclaimed in horror. Johann blanched. He _clearly_ did not know what wurst was, but he didn't feel like trying to explain any further. Time to do things the hard way. Positioning himself behind Gino, he began to push the babbling ball of fluff toward the exit, an easy feat considering that Johann was fairly larger than him.

Once out into the sunlight, Gino almost immediately squeaked in fear, but thankfully only hid behind Johann and not back under the porch. The dogs were still crowded eagerly around the gap, their large bodies towering over the two felines. Johann supposed he could see why Gino would be afraid of them; after all he had grown up with these stooges so it was easy to forget how intimidating they could be to a stranger.

"Alright guys, back up. You're scaring him."

Gino poked his head out, watching as, on command, the giant cat-eating beasts moved away from the two of them.

"You can control them? Wow Johann, you're so brave!"

"I'm not controlling them," he corrected. "We have a… mutual respect for each other since we have to share a living space."

Whether or not Gino had registered any of that was a mystery, as the smaller cat now had a look of complete admiration on his face as he stared up at Johann. At least he felt comfortable enough to come out into the open. Johann motioned the dogs over again. Gino flinched, but did not run.

"S-so, you don't eat cats…?" he asked of the dogs. They all made faces at this.

"Ew, who'd eat a cat? You guys look like you'd taste horrible!" Berlitz exclaimed, wrinkling his nose.

"Yeah, especially when there's tasty wurst in the house, and dog treats, and-" The Doberman pushed the chatty Shepherd away before he could go off on one of his tangents. Blackie retaliated by pouncing at Berlitz and the two spiraled into a play-fight, barking and laughing all the way.

Aster went back to sleep.

"Well, thank you again, for saving me." Johann tore his eyes away from the idiotic dogs to look at Gino, who had his head bowed down in a submissive fashion.

"Why were you even in our yard to begin with?"

"I walking by and I thought I smelled pasta, so I followed the scent here!" That seemed likely. Feliciano had a habit of cooking the stuff on a regular basis; the kitchen practically reeked of pasta!

"Well, you should probably head home before your owner's get worried."

"Ve~? What owners?" This caught Johann off guard. Sure, he didn't have a collar, but his owner's might have decided against a collar. His own was really just a ribbon. And Gino certainly seemed well fed and well groomed, and someone who was that terrified of dogs couldn't possibly live out there on those dangerous streets, yet he was telling him that he…. that he was a… a…

"A stray?" he said incredulously. "You barely survived my _backyard!_ How can you possibly live out there by yourself in that urban deathtrap?"

Gino tilted him head to one side, his curl bobbing with the motion. "It's not that dangerous. You talk as if you'd never-" Realization dawned on the small tom. "You've never stepped outside the yard!"

Johann folded his ears back in embarrassment. "I'm a housecat, I've never had a reason to leave the yard."

"Ve~ But you should! The outdoors is really amazing! There are so many sights and sounds, and smells, and pretty she-cats to flirt with." Johann twisted his mouth. He wasn't so sure about that flirting bit. "I know! I could take you on a tour of the neighborhood."

"Absolutely not."

"Aw, why not! You should at least know what it's like out there. It would be like my thank you for rescuing me."

Johann began to open his mouth, before shutting it once more. It wasn't as if he was never curious about what laid behind those white picket boards, but he knew the saying about curiosity and cats, and he didn't want to be the one to prove it right.

Johann looked down at himself. With all dust coating his fur, he wasn't going back in the house anytime soon. Feliciano and the dogs might have been inconsiderate to Ludwig's cleanliness, but he wasn't. And here was this golden opportunity to see something he'd always wondered about practically handing itself to him.

Taking in a deep breath, Johann sincerely hoped he wouldn't later regret the words that were about to leave his mouth.

"Alright."


	3. Chapter 2

_A/N: I passed a road called 'Johan Drive' yesterday XD. Too bad it's not spelled the same._

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><p>Much to his companion's surprise, Gino was fairly competent when it came to the streets. He knew all the side streets and alleyways that kept them away from the busy, car-infested roads, and out of trouble for the most part (Although the two felines found themselves hiding from animal control a few times).<p>

During the tour, Gino chatted amiably about whatever topic came to mind, whether it was the other cats he'd met, or the people who had been nice enough to stop and pet him or feed him. As Gino blathered on about his preferred types of food, Johann couldn't help but smile. Usually he'd be annoyed by the insistent ramblings, as he was with Blackie, but he found Gino to be… charming, in his own weird little way.

Eventually Gino led him across town to an old abandoned house, leaping up the side via the fire escape and through a broken window on the second floor.

"This is my home. It's not much to look at, but it's warm and dry."

"No kidding," Johann mumbled. This place made the underside of the porch look like a temple of cleanliness! There wasn't much inside either, other than cobwebs. An old couch, a few tables and chairs, and several blankets and rags. He pawed at the closest one, and instantly regretted it as a cloud of dust flew into his face.

Johann coughed. He was _definitely_ going to need a bath after this.

"Oh sorry. But other than the dust, this place is pretty great. The neighborhood kids like to sneak in downstairs at times, and sometimes the other strays come to visit, so I don't get too lonely. And the roof is great when the weather's nice." Johann shrugged. He was too used to being a housecat to really wrap his mind around the idea of this sort of lifestyle.

_Not to mention the lack of sanitation_, he thought as he sneezed at the dust.

"Can we go someplace, maybe a bit cleaner?" he suggested, trying to clear out his nostrils.

Gino's face lit up. "I know just the place!"

The cats made their way to a lightly wooded area that overlooked a small park in the middle of town. This must've been where Ludwig and Feliciano took the dogs out for their walks.

"This is one of my favorite spots in town," Gino said as he settled himself on top of the hill. Johann joined shortly afterwards. "The view is beautiful."

Johann had to agree. From their vantage point they had a nice view of the park and the rest of the town, which seemed to stretch out like a shadow from behind it, slowly melting into the far away plains in the distance. It amazed him that this entire world was just right outside his backyard fence, and he had never bothered to seek it out before.

"There's your house," Gino said, pointing to a row of houses nearby. "And there's mine over there." He pointed in a different direction. "I can see the park from the roof, though the view's not as good as this one." He leaned into Johann's side, sighing contently. The larger cat froze up, but did not push him away. "You should the sunset, the lights catch all the windows in town and the sight is just breathtaking."

"Sunset, huh," he breathed out. "Sunset!" This was said with more force and Johann shot up into a standing position, causing Gino to fall to the ground at the loss of his support. Looking to the sky, the sun was beginning to dip closer and closer to the horizon. Just how long had he been out?

"I have to get home!" Johann looked at Gino, who had a hurt look on his face. "I'm sorry Gino, but my owners might have noticed that I'm missing by now and I don't want them to worry."

This brightened him up. "I understand. But I hope we can do this again. I like hanging out with you."

Johann smiled a bit. "Yes, it was… fun," he replied, before bounding down the hill to return home.

Gino stared back out over the park for a few more moments, before deciding that maybe he should head home too, maybe swing by a couple of the local restaurants to see if he could get any scraps, or a whole meal if he was lucky.

"Um, Gino…"

The tan cat spun around. Johann had returned, staring intently at the grass between his paws as if his mere gaze would send it bursting into flames.

"…how do I get home?"

Gino laughed warmly and rushed to his new friend's side to lead the grey tomcat back to his house.

* * *

><p>Johann had made it home not a moment too soon. Just as he finished exchanging his goodbyes with Gino and leapt back through the hole in the fence, Feliciano appeared at the back door, calling out to him. Johann approached him, meowing pleasantly. Feliciano laughed and scooped him up in his arms, almost sneezing as he did so.<p>

"Johann! You're all dirty. Have you been playing with the dogs?" He folded his ears back in embarrassment, having forgotten how the day's events had affected his personal hygiene. "Oh well, I suppose you were due for a bath soon anyway." Humming to himself, the Italian carried the cat upstairs to get cleaned off.

Sitting on the toilet lid, he watched Feliciano begin to fill the tub with water, testing the temperature every so often and making the appropriate adjustments. With the tub under half full, he lifted the grey cat up and placed him in the water.

Johann let out a contented meow as he settled into the luke-warm water, feeling the grime being washed from his body by the gentle lapping of the waves his movement created. Unlike most cats, Johann actually enjoyed baths. The water was warm and comforting, and his owners were always so gentle with him. He stretched himself out, letting Feliciano pour shampoo on his back and massage it into his fur before washing it out with the showerhead.

Satisfied with his work, Feliciano let the water out and wrapped Johann up in towels to dry off. The cat looked over his shoulder at the slightly discolored water that was now disappearing into the sewers. It disgusted him that he'd let himself get that filthy, and in such a short time period. He idly wondered how much dirt would come off of Gino if he were the one to be placed in the tub.

"There. All clean," Feliciano stated as he put Johann down. His fur was still damp, but at least he was clean. "Now hurry off and eat your food before the dogs do."

He scowled. The dogs knew better than to eat his food. Well, Aster and Blackie did. Berlitz would probably do it just to spite him. The Doberman always did like sticking his nose where it didn't belong.

He arrived in the kitchen where, thankfully, his food had remained untouched and the dogs were nowhere to be seen. As he ate, his mind drifted back to the little stray he had befriended. What had he found to eat this evening? Had he found anything at all?

Johann shook his head and pushed such thoughts away. Of course he had. Gino had proved that he was well adapted to his life on the streets and didn't need anyone worrying about him. Finishing his meal, he joined the rest of the family in the living room. Ludwig and Feliciano were sitting on the couch together, the former deeply engrossed in his novel, the later leaning against him, talking away despite the fact that his spouse was not listening in the slightest.

He slid his way past the dogs sleeping on the carpet and hopped into Ludwig's lap. The German acknowledged him by holding his book up a little higher. Feliciano took a short breather in his recap of the day's events to pet the cat before going back to his ramblings.

Johann found himself reminded of Gino once more. Was he spending the night alone in that big house, or had his neighborhood friends stopped by for a visit? Was he thinking about him too?

No, Johann, discarded that last thought. That was just silly. That was something for lovesick couples like his owners, and he was most certainly not in love. Not with some weird tomcat he'd just met.

Still, Johann couldn't help it as one last thought crossed his mind. He hoped that wherever he was, whomever he was with, Gino was at least safe and warm tonight.

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><p>It had been a few days since Johann had seen his newfound friend, and he was beginning to worry. The last he had seen of him was the day after their meeting, when Gino had stopped by to ask if Johann wanted to take another walk with him. He would've accepted the offer too, if he hadn't been beckoned back inside by Ludwig, forcing him to bid his friend farewell.<p>

Since then, he hadn't seen any sign of the bushy-tailed stray, so he took to waiting outside incase he turned up. The dogs teased him about it, but Johann insisted that it was only because he was glad to have a friend of the same species.

But as day crept into night, Johann became seriously concerned for his friend's state of being. He would've been to see him by now unless something serious had happened, wouldn't he? He leapt up into the windowsill, staring down at the hole in the fence for that telltale curl, or a flash of brown, anything. His tail swung back and forth like a pendulum as he contemplated.

Maybe he should just go out and look for Gino himself. It was risky, as he didn't know his way around, but if Gino was in any kind of danger, he might just have to.

Johann flinched as two hands plunked him from the window and plopped him down on the floor.

"What's gotten into you lately?" Ludwig asked of the cat as he paced around the living room before settling in a nearby chair. Feliciano poked his head in the room, walking over to his husband.

"Feli, have you noticed anything weird about Johann's behavior lately?"

The Italian crossed his arms in concentration. "Hmm. Not really. Why?"

Ludwig sighed, falling back into an armchair. He rubbed at his temples. "I don't know. He's been outside a lot more, and when he's not outside, he stares out the window." He gestured over to the cat, who was doing just that from his spot on the chair. "You don't think he's sick?"

"Maybe he's found himself a girlfriend," Feliciano offered, settling himself on the arm of the chair.

"More like a _boy_friend," Berlitz sniggered. Johann glowered at him.

The German still seemed a bit troubled though, so Feliciano leaned forward to give him a quick peck on the lips. "Johann's fine, you just worry to much. Give him a few days and he'll be out of whatever funk he's in." The Italian stood and flashed Ludwig an encouraging smile before retreating back into the kitchen to finishing cleaning up the dishes.

Ludwig pushed himself up and decided to go help Feliciano in the kitchen, before something got broken. He passed by Johann, who immediately snapped to attention as if to say 'everything's in order'. The German let out a wry smile and figured that Feli was probably right about the worrying.

The grey tom watched him pass by, hopping down to ground level. Maybe he was worrying too much too. Gino would show up eventually.

Right?


	4. Chapter 3

_A/N: This chapter is the whole reason I wrote this fic ^-^ You'll soon see why._

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><p>It was night when Johann was awoken by strange rustling noises in the house. His head shot up, looking around. An intruder? If it was, then why weren't those idiotic canines barking by now? They were supposed to be guard dogs after all. Maybe Blackie was just digging around in the trash for scraps again.<p>

More shuffling.

Deciding to get down to the bottom of this, Johann crept down stairs to have a look around. He couldn't see anyone, but there was a strange scent in the house. It wasn't human, so there was probably no need for worry, but just what was this mysterious intruder.

The shuffling was getting louder now. It seemed to be coming from the kitchen. Following the sound, he could clearly see something around his size moving around in there. Crouching near the doorway, Johann figured that if he was stealthy enough, he could catch it by surprise. That's what he thought, at least, until a pair of glowing brown eyes suddenly leapt out at him.

Now, Johann did not scream. No, he was _far _too composed for that. He did, however, jump back several feet and all the fur on his tail was now standing on end.

"Johann! I found you!"

The grey tomcat was in shock. "Gino?"

Gino grinned at him, rushing over to nuzzle affectionately into Johann's side, which was not helping the larger cat's nerves in the slightest. "Ve~ I missed you! Did Johann miss me?"

"Y-you idiot! Why didn't you come by during the day? You nearly gave me a heart-attack!'" he snapped. Gino pulled away, ears folded down.

"Wah~ I'm sorry! My building got condemned so I had to find a new place to live before they tore it down."

Johann felt a little bad for yelling at him like that, but he seriously had him worried, disappearing for so long. At least he hadn't been in any real danger. Though, he supposed he should at least apologize.

"Gino."

"Ve-meow?"

"I'm sorry. I did miss you…" he grumbled, face burning. Gino lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Yay! Johann missed me! Johann missed me!"

"Shh! Not so loud! You'll wake everyone." Gino shrunk down, covering his mouth with his paws. "Come on, we can talk outside."

The two cats slipped out under the cover of night, making their way down the empty streets. In the pale, gentle light of the moon overhead, the town was even more beautiful. Johann let the cool night air fill his lungs as they walked.

"So, why did you decide to break into my house in the middle of the night?"

"I didn't break in!" the stray protested, spinning around to face Johann. "I was invited!"

"By who?"

"That Golden Retriever you live with. I ran into him at the park this evening, and he told me I should stop by tonight since you'd seemed lonely."

So the dogs were in on this, well he had some choice words for them later. At least that explained their uncharacteristic silence earlier that night. They were usually quick to bark at anything that moved.

"I would've been to visit you sooner, I promise! But I wanted to get settled in a new place first." Gino face suddenly looked sad. "I didn't know I was making you lonely."

The grey tom averted his gaze to the ground, paw tracing circles on the pavement. "I-I wasn't lonely…" he mumbled under his breath, looking away as Gino dipped his head down to stare him in the face.

"Ve~ Johann?" He grunted in acknowledgement, but did not look. "You have really pretty eyes."

Whatever had been on Johann's mind a second ago was suddenly wiped clean. 'You have pretty eyes?' Why would he say that? How was he even supposed to respond to that? The fact the Gino was nearly nose-to-nose with him only furthered to scramble his thoughts.

"Yes, uh, well. Let's keep moving," he sputtered, stalking past Gino, and effectively avoiding the issue entirely. The stray looked over his shoulder at him.

"Do you even know where we're going?"

Johann froze. "We aren't just walking around?"

Gino laughed and retook the lead. "No. There's a really cool place I want to take you," he said as he led his friend to the more commercial district of the town.

It would've been suicide to visit here during the day, what with all the speeding cars and bustling humans about. A cat could easily get trampled underfoot or run over. But now that the sun was down, the only inhabitants were dimly lit streetlights that occupied each corner.

Gino, still leading the way, skipped into one of the alleyways abruptly. Johann, however, was a bit hesitant to follow him. He peeked his head around the corner, watching the smaller male paw at the back door to whatever store they were next to, meowing loudly. The door swung open seconds later, revealing a man with curly brown hair and a chipper grin.

Was that Antonio?

"Ah, _mi gatito!"_ he exclaimed in a Spanish accent. "How are you today? Come for a midnight snack?" He kneeled down to scratch him behind his ears.

Of course. Leave it to Gino to come to the one store where _he_ knew the owner. Antonio was a close personal friend of his owners, and since he was married to Feliciano's… less than pleasant older brother, he was a frequent visitor to the household.

"Hey, our little friend has come back!" Antonio called over his shoulder.

"Shut up, _bastardo!_ I don't care about that stupid cat!"

Ah, speak of the devil. Johann didn't want to have to deal with Lovino, the Italian already didn't like him. And the fact that Johann wasn't even supposed to be there at all only made the circumstances worse. Maybe if he could convince his friend to go somewhere else before things got awkward…

Gino began meowing again, drawing the Spaniard's attention to the shadows.

"Oh, what's this? You brought a guest?"

Well, so much for planning his escape. Taking his chances, he stepped out into the light and sat next to Gino, letting out a flat meow. Maybe if he was lucky they would mistake him for another cat.

"Hey, I know you. At bit far from home aren't we now, Johann?" The grey tom stiffened and looked away. Antonio chuckled and gave Johann a wink. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." He went back the kitchen. "Oh Lovi~ !"

"Didn't I just say I don't care?"

"Please Lovi, just help me whip something up real quick."

"No! It's your stupid café and your stupid stray, you do it," the Italian's voice snapped from inside, followed by the sounds of stomping feet. Both voices got fainter as they supposedly moved away from the back door, though occasionally Lovino could be heard shouting something at the Spaniard.

Johann sighed. He wasn't surprised; those two were always like that. Gino didn't seem to be either, considering he continued to make that weird 'Ve' noise and stare off into space.

He _had_ to be an Italian breed.

The Spaniard appeared a second later, a little worse for wear, but still happily grinning away. "Just hold on boys. It'll just be a few minutes," he said, before going right back in the kitchen.

"Ve~ I didn't know you knew Antonio. Do like this restaurant too, I come here all the time! Oh, but I though you hadn't left the house before."

"Lovino is my owner's brother," Johann explained. "They come by the house every now and again."

"Really? That's so cool! You must have tasted their cooking before then, aw, and I'd hoped it's be a surprise. It's good, isn't it? Can your owner cook just as good?"

No, he had not eaten their food before, why would they come over to cook for the animals? But the grey cat didn't feel like correcting him, so he let the stray continue to talk.

Antonio returned a while later, placing a tablecloth over an empty box of tomatoes that was sitting in the alley. Reaching into the kitchen, he then pulled out a steaming plate of spaghetti and put it on the makeshift table.

"Dinner is served, specially prepared by the lovely Lovino."

There was some grumbling from inside the kitchen.

"Come on Johann, dig in!" Gino said, beginning to munch away at the pasta on the side closest to him.

Johann was at bit more hesitant. Having Feliciano for an owner, this was by no means his first time eating pasta, but it had always been small scraps snuck to the animals when Ludwig wasn't around. Never before had he eaten a full dish with all the trimmings. Gino seemed more than happy with it though, so he swallowed his doubt and took a bite.

It was delicious!

Now he knew why his master cooked the darn stuff so much, the taste was indescribable. The little bits he'd been offered before were fine, but it had never been enough to truly judge the flavor. Gino definitely had good taste when he chose this as his preferred eating spot.

Curious ears shifted as the sound of music reached them. Antonio, at some point, had produced a Spanish guitar and was singing a gentle melody in his native tongue as he strummed away. Gino hummed appreciatively at the pretty music, and Johann tried to hide his embarrassment by focusing on anything but Gino when he realized just the sort of situation they were in right now. Sitting next to each other under the stars, sharing a meal, soft music playing in the background. It felt like something he'd seen in a movie.

Looking down at his food, Johann realizing that the noodle he had been eating did not lead to the plate. Moreover, it seemed to be pulling at him. Confused, he followed the trail of pasta to it's other end…

…which was currently in Gino's mouth.

The tomcat quickly broke off the connection, feeling like his face was on fire. His eyes darted back at forth between the plate of spaghetti and Gino's face, which looked a bit put off by the gesture. Oh great, now he'd hurt his feelings.

Looking around, Johann spotted a particularly large meatball on his side of the plate and nudged it over to Gino's side, hoping he'd take the offering as an apology. He twitched his nose, which now had spaghetti sauce on it, and raised a paw to wipe it off. Gino beat him to it, licking the sauce off. He smiled sweetly and went to nibble on the meatball. Johann found a smile gracing his lips and the two finished their meal in silence.

"I really had fun tonight Johann. I like hanging out with you," Gino proclaimed as they sat together on Gino's hilltop hangout, bathed in the twinkling light of a billion stars. There wasn't a cloud in sight to ruin their view of the sparking heavens above.

"Yes, I believe you've told me that before."

"Well I mean it! I _really _like being with Johann. I've never had someone who I've felt this close to before." That last part was said almost sadly.

"Me too." Gino turned to look at his companion. "I feel the same way. I've never really had this sort of connection with the dogs. You're my first real friend."

"Yay~" he purred, leaning into Johann's side. This time, he did not move away or tense up, although his heart was threatening to leap right out of his chest. Just what was the feeling that drew him to the other tom? Loneliness? A deep sense of companionship? Something was telling him that those just weren't right.

Gino began to bury his nose into the larger male's chest and Johann lifted his head to rest it on the other's back. At some point, their tails had snaked together and were now intertwined.

Johann decided that right now, in this perfect moment, he didn't really care what it was.

* * *

><p>"Well, here we are."<p>

Johann looked sadly at the gap that led back to his own yard. It pained him to say goodbye to his friend, but the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, and his owners would be awake soon (Well, Ludwig would anyway). He jumped through the hole, turning back to Gino, who lingered on the other side of the border.

"I really did have fun with you," he told him with a sad smile, not wanted to part ways so soon either.

"Tonight. Promise me you'll come back tonight."

Gino's smile got a bit cheerier. "Ve~ Of course. I promise," he said, turning to leave.

"Gino…wait." The tomcat turned back around. Johann leaned through the gap and licked the corner of his muzzle. Gino's copper eyes were wide with shock. "You had a bit of spaghetti sauce there."

Recovering from his initial shock, Gino let out a rich laugh and pressed their noses together briefly before scampering off down the street.

"Bye Johann!" he called over his shoulder. "Until tonight!"

"Until tonight," he repeated.


	5. Chapter 4

Well, Feliciano had been right about Johann's mood. Upon awaking the next morning, Johann's owners found that the cat was no longer brooding about the house, although his behavior wasn't quite back to normal. Rather than staring concernedly outside the window, he was staring out into space with an oddly contented look.

And he was purring. Johann _never _purred.

"I'm serious Feliciano. Something is wrong with that cat."

Said cat was currently in his cat bed, idly pawing at a ball of yarn the Italian had given him, but he seemed to be humming to himself as he did so.

Feliciano only chuckled with a knowing smile.

"This isn't funny, what if he's gotten sick?"

"Yes, love sick, but otherwise fine." The German gave him a questioning glance. Feliciano could only sigh and shake his head. Ludwig could be so dense when it came to these matters, but he was Italian, and he could tell when _amore_ was involved.

"Just look at the expression on his face. I know that look. It's the same one you always give me when you think I'm asleep and tell me all the romantic things you're too embarrassed to say normally."

Ludwig looked back at Johann, who was unaware to anything except his own thoughts at the moment.

"Do you really think that- wait, you were awake?" Ludwig suddenly turned beet red, thinking about all the sappy things he's said to Feliciano in his, presumed, sleep. Feliciano laughed again and leaned forward to press a lingering kiss to Ludwig's lips. He pulled away, intertwining his fingers with his husband's, their forehead's touching.

"Stop worrying," Feliciano whispered, pulling Ludwig to his feet. He allowed himself to be led away, deciding to trust Feliciano's insight on this matter. He seemed to know exactly what he was talking about.

Besides, right now he kinda wanted to know exactly what the little Italian had heard in his feigned sleep…

* * *

><p>For the second night in a row, Johann was awake after everyone else had tucked themselves into bed. He silently climbed down the flight on stairs to the house's main floor and went to the back window to see if Gino had arrived yet.<p>

"Got a hot date tonight?"

Johann nearly jumped out of his skin. Geeze, was _everyone_ trying to scare him?

"Aster…" he mumbled as the elderly canine slowly ambled over. He turned his head away proudly. "What I do is of little concern to you."

"I know, I know. I'm not trying to stop you, just want you to take an old dog's advice. Watch yourself out there, Johann, you're no alley cat."

"I'll be fine," he replied, sounding like a haughty child who wanted to go play without his mother's supervision.

"I'm sure you will, it's just a warning. You're still young and you haven't experienced much in your life."

"I said I'll be fine," he repeated, not really sure how to reply to that little statement, though he was glad that the Retriever was looking out for him.

Turning back to the window, he saw that Gino had arrived at some point during their conversation and was now trying to catch a large moth that fluttered around his face. Johann's eyes softened and he allowed himself to smile.

Aster followed his gaze. "You love that little stray, don't you?"

This time Johann fell from the windowsill, managing, at least, to land on his feet.

"W-w-what are you- I don't- he's, uh, just a-"

Aster cut him off. "I'm not senile quite yet," he said with a wink, and nudged the cat forward. "Go on, don't keep him waiting."

Johann, needing no other prompt, bounded over to the back door to make his adventure out into the night. He paused for a moment to look back.

"Thanks Aster," he said, and then leapt through the pet door.

Gino had finally managed to capture one of the moth's wings between his front paws when the grey tomcat appeared on the back steps.

"Johann!" he exclaimed, allowing his quarry to escape.

Johann watched him as he bounded over, thinking back on Aster's words. Was he truly in love with this little stray who'd wormed his way into his perfectly normal life? This tom who, in only a couple of days, had him questioning things that had never even occurred to him before, and who made his heart pound whenever he was around.

"Ve~? Johann, is everything okay?" Gino looked up at his silent friend with large, questioning eyes.

Johann looked back, meeting his gaze with a smile. He laughed softly and gently licked his forehead.

"Just perfect."

* * *

><p>During their walk, Johann remained silent. Although he was always pretty quiet, he usually listened in on Gino's endless rambles about life. Tonight, however, he was still muddling over everything that had happened in the past few days. Gino, at some point, finally realized he was being ignored, and waved a paw in front of Johann's eyes.<p>

"Hello? Anyone home?"

Johann snapped out of his daze and looked over. "What?"

The smaller cat pouted. "Something _is_ wrong! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Nothing's wrong," he assured him. "I just… have a lot on my mind, is all."

"Oh." Gino sat down in the middle of the sidewalk. "Well, do you want to talk about it? Talking about things that are troubling you is supposed to help."

Oh yeah, that'd be a great topic for a casual conversation. 'Oh, you know, nothing serious. I've just been thinking about how I might be falling in love with you. Same old, same old. How was your day?'

"It's nothing, Gino, don't worry about."

"B-but, we're _friends!_" he insisted. "Friends are supposed to share these things."

_Not when that friend is the topic of concern_, he thought.

"Forget it, it's not important."

"Ve~ You're mean."

"What, I'm not-" Gino was smiling cheekily at him, tongue poking out of his muzzle. Johann sighed. "What am I to do with you?" The stray giggled and shrugged.

The two cats jumped as a sudden shadow loomed over them. Out of instinct, Johann shouted a warning and shoved Gino out the way just as a net came down over him. Gino tumbled into safety, staring back in fear as a man clad in khaki clothes gathered up his friend.

"Gino, what are you doing? Run!" he shouted. He hesitated, taking only a step back, until the man looked at him, to which Gino sprinted down the walkway, disappearing around the corner.

The man cursed under his breath. "Got away again." He loaded Johann into a carrying case in the back of his van, narrowly avoiding the cats swiping claws. "At least I caught something."

As the doors slammed shut and the van began to drive away, Johann caught a brief glimpse of brown rounding the corner.

"Good, he got away," he sighed. But now, Johann had to worry about what was to become of himself.

Gino watched the animal control vehicle begin to drive away.

"He saved me again…" Waiting a few more moments to get his thoughts together, Gino set off after the automobile, knowing exactly where it was headed.

* * *

><p>After driving for a while and reaching a house a bit separated from the rest of town, Johann was pulled, very unceremoniously he might add, from his little compartment and practically thrown into a rather large room.<p>

"Hey Heracles!" The man yelled. "I caught another one of those blasted cats!"

He was met with silence and a few snores coming from somewhere nearby.

"Sleep. That's all he does is sleep." The man grumbled as he exited, slamming the door behind him.

Johann examined his location. He was in what almost looked like a guest room in someone's house, except all the furniture, save for a few arm chairs, were replaced by scratching posts, climbing trees, and other feline commodities. The entrance to the room was door-less, but it was blocked off by one of those toddler gates.

"This is the pound?" Johann questioned. It was nothing like he'd heard it was.

"Kesesese~ You _must_ be new if you thought you'd be going to the pound." That was when Johann realized he wasn't alone in this room. A lanky white tomcat had materialized from behind one of the scratching posts. He had no defining features other than the scar over his right eye and left shoulder, and his burning red eyes. Along with him, several other cats of all shapes, sizes and colors began to flood out of their hiding spots until there were nearly twenty of them in the room.

"Come now, Blitz. Don't be rude to our guest," a dark grey tom with a white face and paws chided. There was a small spot under his bottom lip and an askew lock of fur sprouting from the top of his head.

"Oh shut up, I wasn't being rude, you pa-" the albino cut himself off as a female with tan patches, a striped tail, and a pink flower behind her ear gave him a warning glare, her hackles bristling.

She turned to Johann, suddenly going from sour to sweet. "Sorry about him."

"What is this place?" he asked her.

"This is Heracles's house. He made a deal with the local animal control officer that if he caught any cats, he would bring them here instead of the pound."

Johann looked around some more. Across the way from where he was was another room, where a brown-haired human male was currently taking a nap with his head on a dining room table.

"I assume Sleeping Beauty over there is Heracles."

"Yeah, he's been there a few hours now," Blitz said. "Pretty cool guy though, and he takes great care of us. It's practically a cat's paradise here!" He grinned and, maybe it was just because of the red eyes and scars, there was something a bit menacing about it.

"The name's Blitz by the way. You may refer to me as 'The Awesome Blitz' if you'd like." Some of the other cats groaned at this. "The 'Aristocat' here is Mozart, and the she-devil is Eva."

"I'm Johann."

The three froze in shock. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. _You're_ Johann? You're the Johann that Gino talks so much about?"

He didn't know which to ask first, why he knew Gino, or why Gino was telling people about him? He went for the more practical one.

"You know Gino?"

"Dude, _everyone_ knows Gino." Eva and Mozart nodded in agreement. "The kid's too social for his own good."

"He's also a bit of a legend. He's the only one that animal control has never been able to catch," Mozart added.

"Really?" Johann was impressed. He'd never pegged Gino for the crafty type.

Blitz laughed. "Yeah, he turns into a cheetah whenever he gets scared. I've never seen a cat run that fast before!" Ah, _that_ sounded more like Gino.

"I wouldn't laugh. He's caught you at least ten times," Mozart pointed out, cleaning his paws.

"Oh yeah! Well, well how many times have _you_ been caught?"

"Once, because I don't feel the need to go out there and dirty my paws every chance I get."

"And that's why you're a pansy," the albino retorted, nearly getting smacked in the head by Eva.

"Wait, you've gotten out of here? How?" Johann interjected.

"Through the back door," they replied simultaneously.

Johann was led over to the back of the room to one of the various cat trees that adorned the room. This one in particular was propped against the wall. There were a couple of cats lounging on the top of it, but the main cavity, which was at ground level, was unoccupied. Blitz disappeared into the hole and Johann was met by a draft of cold night air. Blitz reappeared a second later with a single leaf in his mouth.

"Heracles didn't want to keep us confined," Eva explained, "so he installed a cat-flap in the wall and hid it behind here. There's a bush on the outside concealing the exit. Animal control has no idea this is even here."

"Ingenious. So you can come and go as you please. It's like a refuge for strays."

"Yep. Even Gino comes through here every now and again to visit."

"Interesting." Johann stuck his head into the opening to investigate, and immediately regretted in. Something came charging in from outside and barreled into Johann, sending the two tumbling out into the center of the room.

"Ve-meow…" the 'attacker' whined, looking down to see what he'd hit. "Johann! I found you." He rubbed their noses together. "I was so worried when that mean old cat-catcher grabbed you that I ran here as fast could! I'm so happy you're okay."

The grey tom groaned. "Gino, get off."

"Oh, sorry." He moved to the side, allowing the other male to get back on his feet. "You are okay, aren't you?"

"I'll live."

"Oi, Gino! Not even gonna say hello?"

He looked away from Johann. "Oh! Hi guys! Sorry, I was bit distracted."

"I bet you were," Eva said with a coy smile, looking between Gino and Johann. Her grey and white companion rolled his eyes.

As the three old acquaintances chatted, Johann dusted himself off and walked up to them.

"Well, it was nice meeting you all, but I've had enough excitement for one night, so I will be heading home."

"Aw, but the night has just begun! Don't be a party pooper," Blitz challenged. Johann ignored him.

"It was a pleasure meeting you as well," Mozart said, nodding his head. He returned the gesture. Eva simply smiled sweetly and waved.

"Wait! I'm coming with you!" Gino cried as Johann's tail disappeared into the darkness. "Bye guys! I'll see you later!"

The trio watched them leave.

"Well, I can see why Gino likes him so much. He's a rather handsome tom," Eva observed.

"He's boring though. He's almost as much of a stick in the mud as you, Mozart." He scoffed at the insult and turned up his nose.

"They do say that opposites attract," she giggled. "Right, Mozart."

He coughed into his paw. "Eva, now's not an appropriate time…"

"Ugh, I think I'm gonna cough up a hairball."

Blitz didn't dodge quick enough this time.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Gino," Johann asked as they neared his house. "Why don't you just live there with the other cats?"<p>

He let out a dry laugh. "I've asked myself that too. It's just not the kind of life I'm looking for."

"Well… what are you looking for?"

"I don't know. I guess I won't know until I find it."

Johann found himself pondering that response as they said their goodbyes that night.

* * *

><p>Mid afternoon and the sun was shining brightly in the sky, a perfect time to be outside enjoying the warmth. The dogs couldn't have agreed more. Blackie and Berlitz were up to their usual mischief, running circles around the yard as they tried to steal a stick from each other. Aster was supposedly watching them from the porch, but he'd fallen asleep halfway through. Johann had curled up next to the eldest dog, fading in and out of consciousness. He was a bit sleepy, but if Aster wasn't going to watch the troublemakers, someone had too.<p>

"Johann! Johann!" came the panicked cry as a brown-patched cat rushed into the yard, and Johann was surprised to find it wasn't his usual visitor.

"Eva? What are you doing here?"

The female panted to catch her breath.

"Gino's in trouble."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Evil cliffie time! :D (And why is this my longest chapter? I blame the 'Frying Pangle' group)_

_The animal control officer is just a nameless, faceless antagonist. He kinda seems like he was meant to be Turkey, I may have had him in the back of my mind while I was writing, but it wasn't intentional. _


	6. Chapter 5

"In trouble? Where is he?"

"I-I don't know," Eva panted, her voice shaky and panicked. "We were walking near Gino's old home when this mad dog jumped out at us. I thought we'd gotten away from him, but he came back and took off after Gino. He might kill him! And I don't-"

Johann didn't even let her finish her sentence before he took off, tearing through the hole in the wall.

"Wait! Johann!" she yelled, but he was probably far out of earshot. "No, if he charges in there without a plan-"

"Don't worry, we'll help you out," Berlitz said as the three dogs came over to her.

"Oh, thank you! I didn't know what to do after they ran off, and the other cats are so far away, it might've been too late by the time I reached them. But, how will we find him?"

Aster smiled. "I may be old, but hunting is in my blood. You just leave it to me." He slipped back into the house.

"Wait for us in the front. I think I know what he's planning," Berlitz told her. Eva nodded and went out the hole in the fence.

Once inside, Aster went to the front door and began barking as loudly as he could, pawing at the doorknobs.

Feliciano was the first to investigate. "Ve~? Aster, what's gotten into you? Do you want to go out?" The dog continued to clack his claws on the metal, so Feliciano cautiously opened it. He bolted out, stopping at the edge of the driveway to sniff at the air, followed by the other two dogs.

"Smell anything yet?" Blackie asked.

"No. I need a definite trail first. Maybe if we go to the center of town I can pick something up." He began barking at the Italian standing in the doorway.

"Feliciano, what's going on," Ludwig asked as he came down the stairs.

"I don't know." Now all three dogs were barking and pointing their heads in the same direction.

"I think they want us to follow them," Ludwig said. The dogs let out a bark of approval, and started down the road. "Come Feli, something's going on." Closing the door behind them, the two humans chased after their dogs. Eva watched them leave, praying that they wouldn't be too late.

* * *

><p>Johann had no idea where he was going. He just knew that right now, Gino needed him, and something was drawing in that direction. His legs were burning and his breath grew short, but he couldn't afford to slow down, not with another's life at stake. His hopes, and fears, were confirmed when he heard the terror-wrought yell of another cat and loud crashing noises.<p>

Pushing forward, he followed the noises down the street into a dank, abandoned alleyway. At the end of it, Gino was balanced precariously on a rickety wooden fence, screaming his heart out as a massive dog, easily Aster's size, viciously threw his weight into the fence. With each hit, the fence wobbled more and more, threatening to either give way or send Gino flying off of it. Gino's claws burrowed deeper into the rotting wood as his back legs began to lose their grip, flailing around with each vibration. A few more hits and-

Without thinking, Johann let out a loud hiss and put himself it a threatening position, back arched, fur spiked, and claws and teeth bared. The dog tore himself away from tormenting the small feline as he noticed Johann, deciding to go after the new, easier to reach target.

Gino opened his eyes as the shaking stopped. Did the dog get bored and go home? Was it safe to come down? He looked down the alley and gasped.

"Johann!"

"Get out of here!" he snapped, claws digging into the dirt paved alley road. "I'll distract him!"

Drool slid from the dog's bared teeth and to the ground as he turned around, preparing himself to rush Johann. The grey tom braced himself, ready for the worst. His only fighting experience came from the play fights he'd had with Blackie and Berlitz as a kitten, and he was sorely out of practice. Maybe those animal instincts would kick in and he'd be able to at least put up a decent defense.

Gino watched from above, still in shock.

_Johann, he- he's here. He came to my rescue again! But- _

He looked down at the monstrosity that had attacked him; it's muscles tensing under the skin, ready to lunge out at the tomcat at any moment.

__This time is different. That dog will _kill_ him!_  
><em>

Gino suddenly leapt from the fence just as the dog started running and landed on his head. From this vantage point, he began to blindly claw at the beast's face, hoping to do as much damage as he could. The dog yowled in pain, thrashing his head around to try and loose the attacker, but Gino's claws held fast to his head. He raised one great paw and struck at Gino, sending the little cat skidding into the wall of the adjacent building.

The dog had lost all interest in Johann now. He squinted around, one of his eyes now rendered useless as blood rushed from the open wound. He spotted his prize, lying on the ground, making no attempts to get up or even move, a perfect target. The canine growled, he was going to make the little whelp suffer for all the damage he'd done to his face. He moved in for the kill, but Johann jumped into the fray, making a quick slash in the dog's shoulder as he positioned himself over Gino's limp body, hissing furiously.

The beast snarled. Fine then, two for the price of one, even better for him. The dog opened his tooth-filled jaws as he closed in on the cornered felines. Johann raised a clawed foot, ready to strike when he got the chance.

Several barks sounded at the mouth of the alley and for a moment, Johann feared that the beast might've had allies. But the dog ceased in his attack, pulling back as he focused his attentions to where the sounds were coming from.

Aster suddenly bounded into the alley, followed behind by Blackie and Berlitz. The trio was snarling as they faced off with the enemy, ready to defend their friends. The other dog began to back away, considering if he was willing to take these three dogs on by himself, but as the two humans rounded the corner as well, he knew the battle was lost. He turned tail as he made his escape, ducking under the fence Gino had been so precariously perched on only moments ago.

Sighing in relief, Johann moved to the side so he could look at Gino. The poor stray was in bad shape. He had cuts where the dog's claws had made contact with him and was badly bruised, but he was at least breathing and conscious. Johann licked at his wounds and Gino winced.

"You idiot, why would you do that?" he whispered, voice threatening to crack.

"V-ve~ I didn't… want him to… hurt… you," he stuttered out. Talking seemed to be painful.

"Shh, don't talk. Save your strength."

Gino let out a shaky laugh. "I'm glad… Johann's fine…" The other male was too choked up to reply to that right now, so he settled for curling up next Gino and licking his head in a soothing matter. The other cat sighed and drifted off into unconsciousness.

Ludwig and Feliciano finally made their way over to where the animals were gathered, and froze at the scene. Johann was surprised to see his owners there, but couldn't be bothered to care; he had to tend to Gino.

"Feli, called the vet's office."

"R-right," the other replied, pulling out his cell phone and dialing the number. Ludwig kneeled down between the dogs and slipped off his shirt to drape it over the injured feline, leaving him in his tank top. He scratched Aster behind his ears.

"You did a good job," he told the dog. Johann looked at the Golden Retriever in realization and whispered a silent 'thank you'.

Feliciano joined the rest of the family, placing his hands on Ludwig's shoulders. "They said they'll be over shortly." He looked at the heart-breaking scene in front of him. "Do you think they'll be okay?" Ludwig stood up again, and placed an arm around his husband's waist.

"I don't know. The little one's in pretty bad shape, but Johann seems uninjured."

"On the outside at least."

Ludwig, realizing what he meant by those words, pressed a chaste kiss to Feliciano's forehead. "Let's hope so."

* * *

><p>Upon leaving the vet's office, Gino was relocated to Johann's cat bed in the living room. He had suffered a few fractures and some blood loss, but with the proper treatments and lots of rest, he was expected to make a full recovery.<p>

Gino had not regained consciousness yet, partially due to the tranquilizers they'd given him as the vets treated the damage, and Johann had refused to leave his side. He curled up protectively around the other male, being careful of the bandages wrapped around his torso, determined to remain there as long as necessary. Feliciano even had to place his food and water next to the bed.

It wasn't until the next day when Gino finally awoke. Hazy eyed, he looked around to try and assess his surroundings.

"You're awake!"

Gino turned to the voice. Johann was looking at him, his face full of relief.

"Ngh… W-where am I? And why do I feel like I've been hit by a car?"

"That's probably because you nearly got yourself killed trying to be a hero," Johann scolded. "You're in my house now. My owners took you to the vet to get patched up."

"Ve~ Johann's house?" he tried to look around, after all, he hadn't gotten a good look the one time he'd been inside, and winced as a sharp pain shot through his body.

"Don't move too much! You're still healing."

"Could've warned me…" he moaned, curling into Johann's warm body. "You're comfy." He let out a yawn.

Johann licked his cheek. "Go back to sleep. The vets said you'd need plenty of rest."

"Can do…" Gino mumbled, slowly dozing off. Johann smiled and decided to stay awake and look over him.

Ludwig came downstairs a little later and approached the two cats. Gino was still sleeping peacefully and Johann was wide-awake, surveying the surroundings. He lazily regarded Ludwig as he sat down next to them to pet the grey cat on the head.

"So this is the reason you've been acting so out of it lately." Johann's ears folded back embarrassedly. "He kind of looks like Feliciano, especially the curl."

"Ve-meow~" Gino muttered in his sleep.

"Acts like him too. Maybe he's right about you being my feline counterpart." Johann seemed to shrug at this and laid his head down next to Gino's, a soppy, lovesick look in his eyes.

Ludwig smiled at the sentiment. "I'll leave you two alone. You take care of him, you hear."

Johann mewed softly. What did it look like he was doing? Still smiling, Ludwig stood and left the room, shooing away a few curious noses that were spying in on the scene.

"Let them have their alone time," he told the dogs. "They deserve it."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Uploading this on my birthday, I'm 19 today! :D _

_Just the epilogue left to go now._


	7. Epilogue

"Johann! Johann! Save me!"

Johann was jolted awake from his nap by a blur of brown fur that ducked for cover under the bed. He blinked sleepily and stared at the two brown eyes peering out at him from the darkness.

"What?"

"He's coming to get me!" he whispered.

Johann groaned and rubbed at his face. "Who's-" His question answered itself when Ludwig came stomping up the stairs, calling for Gino.

"_Verdammt_, where did he go," the man grumbled, stepping into the room. He looked around, spotting a cat, but not the one he was looking for. Johann meowed loudly and pointed under the bed.

"Ah, thank you." He reached under until his hand touched fur and pulled a flailing Gino out.

"No~!" he whined. "Why? Why do you betray me, Johann? I thought you loved me!"

The larger tom rolled his eyes. "Sorry Gino, but you're a house cat now, and house cats have to get baths."

"No!" his cries disappeared down the hallway as Ludwig carried him off. Johann chuckled at the dramatics and got himself comfortable again.

It took about a month after the incident, but Gino had finally fully recovered and was back to his usual, bubbly self. He was prepared to go back to the streets once he had healed, but after spending so long with family and bonding with them, there was no chance of that happened. Not to mention Johann had practically begged the smaller male to stay there with him. Though if you asked him about this, he would insist that he had only proposed the idea, and there was no stuttering, or embarrassment, or cheesy romantic lines involved at all!

Gino was still adjusting to the change in life style. He wasn't entirely cooped up inside, as they went out from time to time to roam the neighborhood, often to visit the other cats at Heracles's house. But the indoors confused him, the fact that he no longer had to go out and look for food was mind boggling in itself. Still, the house pet life definitely had its perks.

Except for the baths. He was not a fan of the baths.

Johann was just happy to have someone he really cared about by his side. He had never been looking for love, but it had found him all the same, and he wouldn't change that for the world.

He craned an eye open as his mate took his place beside him in the cat bed, burying his face in Johann's neck. He smelled of shampoo and slightly damp fur.

"I hate baths," Gino complained.

"You'll get used to it." The smaller male muttered something along the lines of 'I don't wanna get used to it,' under his breath, but Johann couldn't be sure. Gino shifted himself so he could be closer to Johann. He laid his head down on the other's paws and Johann draped is own head over Gino's neck, his breath tickling at his ears. Their tails found one another and intertwined, as they did that one night under the stars. It all seemed so long ago now.

"Do you remember a while back when you asked me what kind of life I was looking for, and I said that I wouldn't know until I found it?"

Johann hummed in response. He could vaguely recall that conversation.

Gino sighed happily. "I've found it now." His breathing steadily slowed as he fell asleep. The warm bath water seemed to have that affect on him. Johann gave him a gentle lick.

"And I've found you."

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><p><em>AN: Well that's it everyone, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed. I had a lot of fun writing this story, and I'm kinda sad it's over. (I may have to write more for this universe in the future XD)_


	8. Omake and AN

_A/N: Thank you to everyone whose read this story. If you enjoyed it, I've started on a continuation of this called 'Raising Gilbird' which focuses on the other characters. And so this just isn't an author's note, here's a short omake for a scene I wanted to include but decided not to in post._

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><p>Gino yawned, blinking his eyes to adjust to the brightness of the room. He was alone in the cat bed, but during his month with the family, he'd learned that Johann liked to be up at ungodly hours, much like his owner, Ludwig.<p>

Gino smiled to himself, he could definitely see the similarities between the two males, they were practically the same person, you know, except for the fact that one was a human, and the other a cat.

He slowly stretched his body out, careful not to aggravate the still healing wounds from that nasty run-in with the feral dog. Gino shuddered at the memory. Though, lately, his injuries have been hurting less and less. In fact, today, they weren't hurting at all. Testing a theory, Gino slowly put himself in a crouching position and literally _leapt_ out of bed. As his paws neared the ground, he braced himself for the impact.

Nothing.

Gino's face lit up. Nothing! He felt nothing! He had finally made a full recovery! The little stray hopped in place excitedly, then decided to go find Johann to tell him the good news.

The older cat was in the kitchen, finishing off his breakfast when Gino found him.

"Johann! Johann! Johann!" He chanted, rushing towards the grey tom at full speed. He had barely even looked up when he found himself being sent tumbling to the floor by a torpedo and fur and giggles.

"G-gino!" he managed to sputter out, trying to ignore the fact that was was lying on his back with the smaller cat on top of him. "What are you doing? What about your injuries?"

"They're all gone!" he replied, getting off of Johann to demonstrate by running circles around him. Johann watched him until he started getting dizzy, then held his paws out so he could catch Gino and stop him.

"Alright, I get it. Don't over exert yourself." Gino nodded, curl bouncing as he moved his head. "Good, now let's get those bandages off you."

The bandages! He'd almost forgotten about them, having become accustomed to their presence on his persona. He stood still and Johann unraveled them with his teeth, pulling the white cloth off his body. The fur underneath was flat and messy, but thankfully there was no scarring. He shook himself out, letting the fur settle back into it's normal, fluffy state and smiled appreciatively up at Johann.

"Ve-meow~ Good as new. Now everything's back to... normal..." Gino suddenly trailed off mid-sentence, catching Johann off-guard. It sounded, uncharacteristically melancholic for the bubbly stray.

"Gino? Are you okay?"

He folded his ears back and looked down. "I'm all better now, so I can take care of myself again. I don't need to stay here with Johann anymore." Johann's eyes widened in realization. The sole purpose for Gino living with him was that he needed to be cared for after being injured so badly. Now that his injuries were gone, so was that purpose. He'd just been with them for so long now, then it hadn't occurred to Johann that he'd have to leave at some point. He was practically part of the family!

"But, it's not like I'm going anywhere! I'll come visit you everyday!" he hastily added, though the look on his face said that he really did want to leave.

Johann didn't want him to leave either.

In fact...

"You can't go!" Johann blurted out, despite himself. Gino looked up at him, confused.

"But, I don't want to wear out my welcome, since there's no need for me to stay-"

"_I_ need you to stay," he mumbled softly, but loud enough for Gino to hear. He glanced over to the smaller tom, who was watching him with inquisitive eyes, and immediately averted his gaze, feeling his face heat up.

"This past month has been one of the happiest times in my life, because everyday I got to wake up to you by my side, because I knew that you were safe here with me, and you couldn't get hurt again. I don't want to lose that. I don't want to lose _you_."

"Johann..."

"Gino," he looked up, their eyes meeting. "I love you."

"Johann!" he cried out, burying his face into the larger tom's chest. Johann rested a paw on his shoulders, pulling him closer. "I love you too! I don't wanna go!"

Resting his head on top of Gino's, Johann gave his reply.

"Then don't."


End file.
